Week 1 of Unit of Inquiry

Week 1 of Unit of Inquiry

Central Idea: Technology has altered ways of communicating causing new responsibilities to evolve.

Mari tries sending a text message, as a record spins .

In our first full week back in school pupils and teachers got fully immersed in the new unit. The pupils took part in a number of provocational activities to create discussion and reveal pupil interests and existing knowledge under the broad heading of communication and technology.

After considering what they had experienced in provocations, such as when we looked at a variety of old technological devices, pupils examined the Central Idea of the unit and came up with questions to guide them towards their inquiries which they will make later in the unit.

In the activity pictured below, pupils created a wide range of questions and had to categorise these questions on either side of the horizontal line into questions that (a. above the line) they care deeply about investigating and (b) below the line, care very little about investigating. And then placing their questions on either side of the vertical line into questions that (to the left) not likely to generate engagement, insight, creative action, deep understanding and new possibilities and (to the right) very likely to generate engagement, insight, creative action, deep understanding and new possibilities.

Isabella and Alex from PYP 7 Omega place their question in the key quadrant that they care about investigating and also think other will be interested in learning about.

A sample of some of the pupils from PYP 7 pupils.

PYP 7 Beta pupils consider where best to put their questions.